2023–24 Minnesota Timberwolves season
2023–24 NBA season by team
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The 2023–24 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 35th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Entering the second season of the "Big 3" consisting of guard Anthony Edwards, center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns and center Rudy Gobert, the team sought to improve upon its 42–40 record from the previous season and make its third consecutive playoff appearance.
| 2023–24 Minnesota Timberwolves season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Chris Finch |
| General manager | Tim Connelly |
| Owner | Glen Taylor |
| Arena | Target Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 56–26 (.683) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Northwest) Conference: 3rd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Conference finals (lost to Mavericks 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Bally Sports North |
| Radio | KFXN |
After starting this season out 1–2, Minnesota went on a 7-game winning streak to start out the month of November before losing to the Phoenix Suns on November 15. The early winning streak they had early in November later led to them having quality winning record months throughout November, December, and January, to the point where the Timberwolves entered the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend as the surprise best team of the Western Conference with a 39–16 record and with head coach Chris Finch coaching his first All-Star Game in the NBA. They later matched their overall win total from the previous season by the end of February.
On March 4, 2024, with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Timberwolves improved upon their previous season's record of 42–40.
On April 1, 2024, the Timberwolves clinched their 3rd consecutive playoff berth following the Phoenix Suns' 124–111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The regular season is notable for being the first since 2004 in which the Timberwolves won at least 50 games, a feat achieved following the team's win over the Detroit Pistons on March 27, 2024. The Timberwolves had the best team defensive rating in the NBA.
On April 28, 2024, the Timberwolves secured their first playoff series win since the 2003–04 season, and third overall win in franchise history. The team dispatched a 4–0 series victory over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference quarterfinals. This series also marked the first 3–0 lead and first playoff series sweep in franchise history. In the semifinals, the Timberwolves went on to defeat the defending champion Denver Nuggets in 7 games to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in twenty years. However, the team was swiftly ousted by the Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving-led Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, succumbing in five games.
The Minnesota Timberwolves drew an average home attendance of 18,024 in 41 home games in the 2023-24 NBA season, the 18th highest in the league. The total attendance was 738,984.[1]
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position(s) | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 53 | Jaylen Clark | SG |  United States |
UCLA (Jr.) |
The Timberwolves had one second-round pick entering the draft, which was originally owned by the New York Knicks and was acquired from the Charlotte Hornets.[2] They had traded their original first-round pick to the Utah Jazz (as an exchange for Rudy Gobert in 2022) and their original second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies.[3]
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Standings
Division
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c – Oklahoma City Thunder | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 33–8 | 24–17 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Denver Nuggets | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 33–8 | 24–17 | 10–6 | 82 |
| x – Minnesota Timberwolves | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1.0 | 30–11 | 26–15 | 12–4 | 82 |
| Utah Jazz | 31 | 51 | .378 | 26.0 | 21–20 | 10–31 | 5–11 | 82 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 21 | 61 | .256 | 36.0 | 11–30 | 10–31 | 1–15 | 82 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Oklahoma City Thunder * | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 2 | x – Denver Nuggets | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 3 | x – Minnesota Timberwolves | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y – Los Angeles Clippers * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 6.0 | 82 |
| 5 | y – Dallas Mavericks * | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Phoenix Suns | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – New Orleans Pelicans | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Los Angeles Lakers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 10.0 | 82 |
| 9 | pi – Sacramento Kings | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 10 | pi – Golden State Warriors | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | 31 | 51 | .378 | 26.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Memphis Grizzlies | 27 | 55 | .329 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 14 | San Antonio Spurs | 22 | 60 | .268 | 35.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Portland Trail Blazers | 21 | 61 | .256 | 36.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2023 preseason game log Total: 5–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 3–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 5–0 (home: 2–0; road: 3–0)
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| 2023–24 preseason schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
| 2023–24 game log Total: 56–26 (Home: 30–11; Road: 26–15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1–2 (home: 1–0; road: 0–2)
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November: 13–2 (home: 8–1; road: 5–1)
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December: 10–3 (home: 5–0; road: 5–3)
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January: 10–7 (home: 4–3; road: 6–4)
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February: 8–3 (home: 4–2; road: 4–1)
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March: 9–6 (home: 4–4; road: 5–2)
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April: 5–3 (home: 4–1; road: 1–2)
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| 2023–24 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
| 2024 playoff game log Total: 9–7 (home: 3–5; road: 6–2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 1–2; road: 3–1)
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Conference Finals: 1–4 (home: 0–3; road: 1–1)
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| 2024 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In-Season Tournament
This was the first regular season in which all NBA teams competed in a mid-season tournament setting, due to the implementation of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.[4][5] During the in-season tournament period, the Timberwolves competed in Group C of the Western Conference, which included the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs.
After defeating the Spurs and Warriors in their first two In-Season Tournament games, the Wolves lost their third game to the Sacramento Kings, which moved the Kings to first within Group C, clinching a spot in the knockout stage. The Timberwolves were left competing for the wild card with the Phoenix Suns, but ended up falling short due to the point differential tiebreaker. The Timberwolves' overall record in group play was 3–1, good enough for second in the group.
West group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification | SAC | MIN | GSW | OKC | SAS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento Kings | 4 | 4 | 0 | 482 | 452 | +30 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 124–111 | 124–123 | 105–98 | 129–120 | |
| 2 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | 3 | 1 | 438 | 438 | 0 | 111–124 | — | 104–101 | 106–103 | 117–110 | ||
| 3 | Golden State Warriors | 4 | 2 | 2 | 483 | 479 | +4 | 123–124 | 101–104 | — | 141–139 | 118–112 | ||
| 4 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4 | 1 | 3 | 463 | 439 | +24 | 98–105 | 103–106 | 139–141 | — | 123–87 | ||
| 5 | San Antonio Spurs | 4 | 0 | 4 | 429 | 487 | −58 | 120–129 | 110–117 | 112–118 | 87–123 | — |
Player statistics
Regular season
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | SG | 82 | 20 | 1,921 | 167 | 204 | 64 | 42 | 655 | 23.4 | 2.0 | 2.5 | .8 | .5 | 8.0 |
| Naz Reid | C | 81 | 14 | 1,964 | 423 | 106 | 63 | 73 | 1,090 | 24.2 | 5.2 | 1.3 | .8 | .9 | 13.5 |
| Anthony Edwards | SG | 79 | 78 | 2,770 | 430 | 405 | 101 | 42 | 2,049 | 35.1 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 1.3 | .5 | 25.9 |
| Kyle Anderson | PF | 79 | 10 | 1,782 | 273 | 331 | 71 | 47 | 506 | 22.6 | 3.5 | 4.2 | .9 | .6 | 6.4 |
| Rudy Gobert | C | 76 | 76 | 2,593 | 982 | 102 | 52 | 162 | 1,061 | 34.1 | 12.9 | 1.3 | .7 | 2.1 | 14.0 |
| Mike Conley Jr. | PG | 76 | 76 | 2,193 | 218 | 449 | 88 | 17 | 869 | 28.9 | 2.9 | 5.9 | 1.2 | .2 | 11.4 |
| Jaden McDaniels | SF | 72 | 71 | 2,105 | 224 | 101 | 63 | 42 | 757 | 29.2 | 3.1 | 1.4 | .9 | .6 | 10.5 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | PF | 62 | 62 | 2,026 | 515 | 189 | 43 | 41 | 1,349 | 32.7 | 8.3 | 3.0 | .7 | .7 | 21.8 |
| Jordan McLaughlin | PG | 56 | 0 | 626 | 72 | 110 | 35 | 7 | 195 | 11.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | .6 | .1 | 3.5 |
| Shake Milton† | SG | 38 | 0 | 491 | 51 | 50 | 16 | 5 | 178 | 12.9 | 1.3 | 1.3 | .4 | .1 | 4.7 |
| Troy Brown Jr.† | SF | 37 | 3 | 410 | 72 | 35 | 8 | 2 | 154 | 11.1 | 1.9 | .9 | .2 | .1 | 4.2 |
| Josh Minott | SF | 32 | 0 | 91 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 50 | 2.8 | .5 | .3 | .2 | .2 | 1.6 |
| Monté Morris† | PG | 27 | 0 | 408 | 45 | 61 | 18 | 8 | 137 | 15.1 | 1.7 | 2.3 | .7 | .3 | 5.1 |
| Luka Garza | C | 25 | 0 | 122 | 31 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 99 | 4.9 | 1.2 | .2 | .2 | .0 | 4.0 |
| Wendell Moore Jr. | SG | 25 | 0 | 75 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 3.0 | .5 | .2 | .2 | .0 | .7 |
| Leonard Miller | SF | 17 | 0 | 52 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 3.1 | 1.2 | .5 | .1 | .1 | 1.7 |
| Daishen Nix | PG | 15 | 0 | 50 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 3.3 | .2 | .4 | .3 | .0 | 1.8 |
| T. J. Warren | SF | 11 | 0 | 125 | 22 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 41 | 11.4 | 2.0 | .8 | .4 | .1 | 3.7 |
| Justin Jackson | SF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Timberwolves only.
Playoffs
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Edwards | SG | 16 | 16 | 649 | 112 | 104 | 24 | 9 | 441 | 40.6 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 1.5 | .6 | 27.6 |
| Jaden McDaniels | SF | 16 | 16 | 537 | 61 | 18 | 14 | 18 | 195 | 33.6 | 3.8 | 1.1 | .9 | 1.1 | 12.2 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | PF | 16 | 16 | 522 | 144 | 42 | 12 | 3 | 305 | 32.6 | 9.0 | 2.6 | .8 | .2 | 19.1 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | SG | 16 | 1 | 378 | 28 | 37 | 10 | 7 | 116 | 23.6 | 1.8 | 2.3 | .6 | .4 | 7.3 |
| Naz Reid | C | 16 | 0 | 361 | 59 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 177 | 22.6 | 3.7 | 1.0 | .5 | .8 | 11.1 |
| Rudy Gobert | C | 15 | 15 | 512 | 147 | 24 | 14 | 15 | 181 | 34.1 | 9.8 | 1.6 | .9 | 1.0 | 12.1 |
| Mike Conley Jr. | PG | 15 | 15 | 474 | 58 | 86 | 21 | 3 | 174 | 31.6 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 1.4 | .2 | 11.6 |
| Kyle Anderson | PF | 15 | 1 | 231 | 40 | 38 | 10 | 5 | 64 | 15.4 | 2.7 | 2.5 | .7 | .3 | 4.3 |
| Monté Morris | PG | 9 | 0 | 67 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 7.4 | .7 | 1.0 | .2 | .1 | 2.3 |
| Luka Garza | C | 7 | 0 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 3.7 | .9 | .1 | .0 | .0 | 4.1 |
| Jordan McLaughlin | PG | 6 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5.0 | .7 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .7 |
| Wendell Moore Jr. | SG | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3.0 | .3 | .3 | .2 | .0 | 1.2 |
| Josh Minott | SF | 5 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3.6 | 1.0 | .6 | .0 | .0 | 1.2 |
| T. J. Warren | SF | 3 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Leonard Miller | SF | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 | 1.3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
Transactions
Trades
| June 23, 2023[6] | To Minnesota Timberwolves Draft rights to Leonard Miller (No. 33) |
To San Antonio Spurs 2026 UTA second-round pick 2028 MIN second-round pick |
| February 8, 2024[7] | Minnesota Timberwolves Monté Morris |
To Detroit Pistons Troy Brown Jr. Shake Milton 2030 second-round pick |
Free agency
Re-signed
| Date | Player | Signed | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 25 | Naz Reid | 3 years $42M | [8] |
| June 30 | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 2-year deal | [9] |
| July 3 | Anthony Edwards | 5 years $260M | [10] |
| October 23 | Jaden McDaniels | 5 years $136M | [11] |
Additions
| Date | Player | Contract terms | Former Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 30 | Troy Brown Jr. | 2 years $10M | Los Angeles Lakers | [12] |
| Shake Milton | 2 years $10M | Philadelphia 76ers |
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Reason | New Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1 | Taurean Prince | 1 year $4.5M | Los Angeles Lakers | [13] |